Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series)

by Price, Melynda

Tension between them swelled until the air crackled with electricity. “Liam,” she whispered softly.

  He didn’t reply.

  “Liam,” she said again, trying to get him to look at her—to acknowledge her. He pulled into her driveway and slammed the gearshift into park. In one fluid motion, the door was open and he was halfway out the car before she could stop him. Olivia reached over and placed her hand on his arm. He froze. His flesh leapt beneath her touch.

  “Look at me,” she pleaded. Letting go of his arm, she gently grasped his jaw, turning his face toward her. Slowly, his head came around, and when his eyes reluctantly locked on hers, her breath caught in her throat.

  The deep jade green color of Liam’s eyes, marbled with rich golden amber, reflected back at her, filling Olivia with shame and sorrow. Now she knew why he’d been hiding his face from her, and it only confirmed what she knew in her heart—he was jealous and filled with grief. She’d learned in the past exactly what colors correlated with his emotions, and she also knew he hated having his emotional grid displayed in his eyes for the whole world to see.

  Her hand burned against his cheek, her chest aching with gut-wrenching regret. He was so beautiful…even more beautiful than she remembered. Olivia sat there, speechless, transfixed by piercing eyes she swore could see into her soul. Try as she might, she just couldn’t get the words she needed to say past her lips. What could she say? I’m sorry… I’m engaged to another man while I’m still desperately in love with you? Hardly… That conversation would produce nothing but sour grapes.

  “I’ll go get your bags,” he finally said, breaking contact and letting her off the hook. Liam climbed out of the car with lithe grace. A pang of disappointment speared her heart at the loss of contact with him. Oh Lord, help me… she prayed.

  ***

  Walking into Olivia’s apartment, Liam was immediately hit with the scent he’d been spared when guarding her from his dimension, and had failed to escape since the moment he tossed that female over his shoulder, stealing her away from her intended groom.

  It was an asshole move—no doubt about it. He wasn’t denying it, and sure as hell wasn’t going to apologize for it. He’d sat by long enough, letting Olivia flounder in her free will. Thank God, Rowen and his band of bastards had shown up when they did, wiping free his conscience and giving him the excuse to do what needed to be done—what in truth, would have been done whether they’d shown up or not.

  Rowen had just been the loophole he needed. There was no damn way he was going to stand by and watch Olivia walk down the aisle with that POS. Yeah, there’d be hell to pay, and a shitload of red tape to get the Council of the High Court off his ass when they discovered what he’d done, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

  Liam paused, drawing in a slow, deep breath—allowing himself a moment to enjoy the rush as his senses came back online, solidifying his bond with the woman, an indulgence he’d been too distracted to partake in while abducting her. Olivia’s bags were sitting by the door, a painful kick in the balls, reminding him that she’d intended to spend this night with another man. He snarled a ripe curse and grabbed the damn bags, jerking the door shut behind him.

  What in the hell was he thinking?—coming back here. If he’d had a brain in his head, he would have sent someone else—anyone else—to get Olivia out of here while he dealt with Rowen’s legion. Shit, Tate would have done it, and the brother owed him one. But the temptation to see her again, even if for a little while, had been too great to resist.

  So many things were different about her, and yet other things were exactly the same. Her scent, for example, was precisely how he remembered it. But her touch…it burned with a new fire that nearly snapped what little thread of self-control he had. Hell, he’d fled the car to keep himself from doing something they’d both regret. Things just weren’t that simple anymore… Ah hell, who was he kidding? They’d never been simple, only now they’d moved into a whole other realm of complicated. There was someone else. He’d known the day would come, thought he’d prepared himself for it even. But then again, that’s the thing with denial, it doesn’t matter how much you lie to yourself, eventually reality was bound to sneak up and bite you in the ass. And damn if he wasn’t missing a chunk of flesh.

  There was no denying it, Olivia had changed. Oh, how he missed those days when she’d been the little girl dressed in her tiara and costume jewelry, having afternoon tea with him, believing he was nothing more than her imaginary friend. He missed the unjaded young woman who’d given him her heart three years ago, that might as well have been three lifetimes, for all the suffering they’d endured since then. How he wished things could have been different between them. What he wouldn’t give to make it so.

  As Liam walked out the front door, he was suddenly hit with a sense of evil foreboding. Every muscle in his body tensed as his warrior instincts snapped to attention. Rowen was close. He could sense the dark undercurrent in the air. Shit, they were already searching for her.

  ***

  Olivia sat in the car, watching the front door of her apartment from the rearview mirror, waiting as the seconds ticked by for Liam to reappear. He burst out the door and descended the steps when suddenly his sure, determined stride faltered. Tensing, he stopped to crane his neck, looking behind him. After a brief moment, he swung back around. The glower on his handsome face darkened another degree, making him look downright lethal. His amethyst-colored eyes verily glowed with anger—not that she blamed him. It couldn’t be easy for him to see her wearing this wedding dress or hear her tell another man she loved him.

  As he strode toward her, she was taken aback by the sheer size of him, the fluid grace of his well-defined, powerful body. After all these years, she’d never gotten used to his beauty, and didn’t think she ever would.

  The rear door opened and her bags made an abrupt appearance in the back seat. Good thing she hadn’t packed anything breakable. Wordlessly, he hopped into the driver’s seat, slammed the door shut, and peeled out of the driveway. The sudden change in him set her nerves on edge. Combined with a healthy dose of guilt, she teetered on the edge of another breakdown.

  When she’d woken up this morning and laid there staring at the ceiling, she’d prayed for closure to this painful chapter of her life. She was prepared to put the past, aka Liam, behind her and start over as Olivia Mathis. The last thing she’d expected was to have the angel show up mere minutes before she’d be saying “I do” and steal her away.

  Honestly, she didn’t think she’d ever see Liam again. After three miserable years of hoping and waiting, begging and sobbing, she’d finally given up. How long was I supposed to live my life mourning for you? She wanted to scream, hating him for doing this to her, and hating herself for hurting him and for letting those old emotions come flooding back like it was yesterday.

  Liam turned onto I-75 and headed north. He still hadn’t said a word to her—his posture tense as he frequently glanced into the rearview mirror.

  “Where are we going?”

  He looked at her a moment before answering. “I’m not sure yet. I haven’t thought things out that far. I didn’t exactly plan for this to happen.”

  “Why now, Liam? It’s been three years and nothing. All of a sudden, why am I so important to them again?”

  “You never stopped being important. Just because you think these last three years have been quiet doesn’t make it so. I’ve been busy, very busy…”

  “Oh.” Olivia didn’t know what to say. She’d just assumed the Dark Court had left her alone. She’d been too caught up in her own grief to pay any mind, or even care about the otherworldly dynamics at play.

  “I don’t want you to be afraid. I just want to keep you safe, like I promised I would, but I didn’t promise it would always be convenient for you. I am sorry about your wedding.”

  “So am I...” she replied softly.

  Liam didn’t respond, but then, there wasn’t anything he could say.

  Chapter Thre
e

  “The warrior’s been here,” Haden announced as they stepped into the female’s apartment.

  No shit. As if Rowen couldn’t figure that out for himself. The warrior’s presence permeated the small room, leaving behind a dominant spicy scent that even he couldn’t mistake.

  Cale shifted restlessly near the doorway. The fallen angel’s “fight or flight” response clearly edged toward flight—pussy. He and Rhen hung back, neither of them looked too happy about being here. Perhaps the problem was Haden. That surly bastard seemed to bring out the worst in everyone.

  “How long ago?” Rowen asked, walking farther into the living room. Who knows, maybe the tracker could be good for something, after all. He knew Liam had been here, but his senses weren’t acute enough to timeline events.

  Haden drew in a slow, deep breath and exhaled the air, his face crinkling in disgust. “Fifteen, twenty at the most.”

  “Dammit!” Rowen growled. “He’s running with her!” He turned to leave, ready to rally his crew and haul ass, when he noticed Haden walking the other way. Where in the hell was he going? Following a few paces behind, he watched from the crack in the bedroom door as Haden stood at Olivia’s dresser, digging through her jewelry box, pulling open drawer after drawer.

  What is that crazy bastard looking for? Whatever it was, he didn’t find it, because a snarled curse tore from his lips as he slammed the last drawer shut. Spinning around, he marched over to the woman’s bed and picked up her nightgown draped across the mattress. Burying his face into the black silk, a low, throaty growl rumbled in Haden’s throat.

  All right, enough of this shit. They didn’t have all day to stand around while Haden got up close and personal with the woman’s intimates. Creepy bastard… “You ‘bout done playing with the girl’s panties?” Rowen snapped, stepping into the room. “Her roommate could be back any minute, and believe me, you don’t want her guardian finding you here.”

  Balen had earned a well-deserved reputation among the fallen society, and like Liam, was highly feared among the Dark Court. Rowen had learned from Max’s mistake of underestimating the Ronnin warriors, and he had no intention of repeating history here tonight.

  “I fear no guardian,” Haden snapped defiantly, tossing the nightgown back on the bed as if it were yesterday’s trash.

  Rowen scowled. It was this kind of cocky shit that was gonna get them killed. “Ashley’s ‘guardian’ isn’t a guardian, smart ass. He’s Ronnin, just like Liam.”

  When Haden glanced at him, there was a wildness dancing in those pale green eyes that made Rowen a bit uneasy. This nut job was cracked—plain and simple.

  “Warriors serving as guardians, huh? Interesting…”

  “Yeah, it’s real tits. Why don’t you ask Cale how interesting he thinks it is?” Rowen growled, tipping his head toward the demon. “I’m sure he’d love to tell you how he got that scar on his face. And he’s lucky, too—almost got his damn head lopped off!”

  Haden’s gaze sought out Cale, who was pacing the living room, obviously anxious to leave.

  “Let’s go,” Rowen barked. “We’re stinking up the place!” Turning abruptly, he walked out of the bedroom and didn’t stop to wait for the others as he marched out the front door. If those fuck-ups didn’t have their asses in this car in the next thirty seconds, then sayonara, suckers. They’d already been here too long. If Ashley came home anytime soon, Balen would scent them for sure, and the last thing they needed was to kick the hornet’s nest this early in the game.

  ***

  It was the middle of the night by the time Liam pulled into the parking lot of a hole-in-the-wall “No Tell Motel.” They’d traveled countless miles and were somewhere in Tennessee when he’d finally felt Olivia fall asleep. Her emotional grid was calm and her soft, rhythmic breathing confirmed her peaceful slumber. Pulling up to the office, he quietly exited the car, keeping a watchful eye on her through the lobby window.

  Inside, the front desk was empty except for a bell sitting in the center of the counter. Liam tapped it and a loud ding filled the small office. He looked around for the clerk as the soft echo of a TV carried out from the back room. Sighing impatiently, he stood there waiting, while frequently glancing out at his car to check on Olivia.

  After another minute of no response, he stepped around the corner of the desk and opened the back door. An old black and white, sporting a set of rabbit ears, cast reflections onto the craggy features of a man sleeping in a recliner. A rusty old TV tray sat beside the arm of his chair. In one hand was a burning cigarette, in the other a beer, and a remote control rested in his lap.

  “Excuse me,” Liam said, irritation making his voice crisp.

  The man startled awake. Arms flailing, he dropped the beer as he flew out of the chair, disoriented and cranky. “Jesus! You scared the shit out of me!”

  Liam scowled, instantly disliking the man who spoke so irreverently. “Had you heard your bell, I wouldn’t have frightened you,” Liam growled. “I need a room for the night.”

  The man squinted at the clock hanging on the wall above the TV. His face wrinkled into a bigger scowl. “It’s late,” he said, stating the obvious.

  “I know what time it is,” Liam snapped impatiently. “That’s why I need the room.”

  The man brushed past Liam, and he followed the slug out to the front office. He was relieved to find Olivia still asleep, curled against the center console.

  “That’ll be forty-nine dollars for the room,” the man said, pulling Liam’s attention back to him. “I just need your driver’s license and plate number.”

  Liam had no intention of giving him either and leaving a paper trail for the legion to follow. That’s why he’d picked this shithole of a motel in the first place. He pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and put it on the counter. The man paused only a second before snatching the crisp bill off the counter and stuffing it in his pocket. He turned around and pulled a key off the hook. “Room seven, ground floor,” the man grumbled, handing Liam the key.

  He curtly thanked the old man and turned abruptly, walking out of the office. Driving around the corner of the building, he parked in front of their room and carried Olivia’s bags inside. The motel room smelled of stale, musty air. Velvet textured paisley wallpaper, yellowed with age, hung curled and peeling from the corners of the walls. Liam crossed the worn avocado shag carpet and stepped into the bathroom, turning on the light. The ambient glow filled the main room.

  He pulled back the covers on the bed before walking outside to the car and gently opening the passenger door. Olivia’s wedding dress came spilling out at him as he slid his hand behind her back and one under her legs, lifting her out of the car. She moaned softly and turned in his arms, wrapping her delicate arm around his neck.

  Liam stiffened as a jolt of heat flooded his veins. The forbidden desire coiling in his gut was nothing short of pure torture. Forcing his body to move, he turned slowly, trying not to wake her, and purposefully placed one foot in front of the other, carrying her over the threshold of the skeezy motel room.

  Pure and simple, it was nothing but sick irony that he’d be carrying Olivia, in a wedding dress no less, over any threshold. If he’d had his way, he’d be carrying her into a house, one of those beauties straight out of a Thomas Kinkade painting, as his wife, where they’d be starting a long and happy life together—not into some stank, low budget motel, with her wearing a wedding dress intended to be removed by another man. As his mind led him down the path he didn’t want to go, he thought perhaps right now, he could quite possibly be in Hell.

  Liam gently laid Olivia on the bed, anxious to get his hands off her so he could clear his mind and regain some semblance of control again. She’d always been a heavy sleeper, so he wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t woken up with all the movement. Reaching down, he brushed a lock of hair out of her face, slowly letting the black silky strands slide through his fingers. So incredibly soft…just as he remembered it.

 
His body physically ached to be near her. The temptation to climb in beside her and take her into his arms nearly dropped him to his knees. It felt like forever since he’d held her. But she wasn’t his to touch. She belonged to another, and just the thought of it hit his veins with a possessive fury that scorched his soul. A snarled oath tore from his lips as he forced himself to turn and walk away.

  His mood grew foul, hovering on the verge of downright nasty, as he sat in the chair across the room, warring with himself to do the right thing and stay the hell away from her. It was times like this when he wished he could sleep. Something…anything…to buy him a few moments reprieve from this gnawing desire. Yeah…not gonna happen. So there he sat, alone with his thoughts, until the early glimpse of dawn finally began to break over the horizon.

  ***

  Mitch sat at his kitchen table with a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s. The tails of his crisp white shirt hung loosely around his waist, wrinkled and worn. His sleeves were shoved carelessly past his elbows, and the ends of his tie hung draped around his neck. The guy looked like shit.

  Tom had called Ashley a few hours ago. His friends were staying with him in shifts, afraid to leave him alone in case he decided to do something stupid like get behind the wheel after consuming half a bottle of JD. Anyone who knew Mitch knew that was a pretty good possibility, so Ashley had offered to pull night duty. Why not? She wasn’t going to get any sleep, anyway. She was concerned for Mitch. He wasn’t handling this well at all.

  Nate looked over at her, but he didn’t speak—he didn’t have to. They held an unspoken conversation that amounted to a lot of “Holy shit, I think Mitch is gonna crack.” They each knew what the other was thinking, sharing a bond that had developed over years of friendship going all the way back to kindergarten.

  There had been a time in the recent past when they’d tried to make it more—hoped it could be more. But since Balen had stepped into Ashley’s life three years ago, no matter how hard she’d tried, there was always a part of her heart that just wouldn’t let him go. Nate hadn’t been content to stay in a relationship where he was second choice—not that she blamed him—but the heart wants what the heart wants, and unfortunately for her, it wanted her guardian angel.